Saleh's Bizarre Night
by CrypticGirl
Summary: After eating Ewan's pie, Saleh must endure the most bizarre night of his life. Concluded 2.25.07.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem and all mentioned characters and places all belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.

Author's Note: This is a little experiment I'm doing, to see how well my FE fanfic goes. I might continue it, or I might not. It all depends on how well you all like it. I know I'm not the greatest writer around, but I don't tolerate flames. Also, Saleh is my favorite FE8 character, and there's just not enough fanfics with him. So most, if not all of my FE8 fanfics will most likely focus on him. )

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Chapter 1

Saleh, a reclusive sage from Caer Pelyn, sat in his room practicing his Valega. It was similar to a prayer, but instead was a very pure, unselfish wish. The War of the Stones had just ended, and Saleh was praying for all the shattered lives and countries to be restored. While he was deep in his meditation, he heard a knock on his door.

Saleh opened his eyes. "Who is it?"

The door opened, and two people came in – a young red-haired mage, and a blonde-haired young girl with red armor.

"No, no," Saleh said. "When I say, 'Who is it?', it doesn't mean for you to come in. When I say 'Who is it?', you say who it is."

"We're sorry," the mage responded.

Both he and the girl turned and stepped outside, closing the door behind them. Saleh paused, waiting for them to knock again. Seconds later, they knocked again.

"Who is it?" Saleh asked again.

"Who it is!" the voice replied from the door.

Saleh paused again. He wasn't sure how to respond to the smart alec remark. Part of him wanted to laugh, but somehow he found himself unable to do so. Rather than trying to clarify his last lesson in manners, Saleh moved on.

"Come in," he called.

The mage and the girl entered the room again.

"Hey Teacher, guess what!" the mage said.

"What is it, Ewan?" Saleh asked.

"Remember when we met all those people during the war?"

"Yes...what about it?"

"I'd like you to meet Amelia. She traveled with us, remember?"

"Oh...yes, I remember, although we hadn't been formally introduced until now."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mister Saleh," Amelia said. "Ewan's told me so much about you."

"Amelia and I promised to take a trip around the world once the war ended," Ewan explained.

"I see. It should be a rewarding experience for both of you," Saleh said. "When do you intend to set out?"

"We're setting out tomorrow morning. Hey Teacher, could we have one more training session?"

"You mean now?"

"Yeah. I want to show Amelia how far I've come with my magic."

"Ewan always talks about how great you are," Amelia added. "I want to see your magic, too, Mister Saleh."

"Very well. Let's go outside by the stream."

The three went outside to a grassy field overlooking a clear blue stream.

"All right, Ewan, let's test our resistance," Saleh said. "I'll let you make the first attack."

"Sounds great, Teacher," Ewan said. "Hey Amelia, watch this!"

"I'm watching, Ewan!" Amelia called. "Show him what you're made of!"

Saleh and Ewan stood ten feet away from each other. Ewan pulled out his Elfire tome.

"Are you ready, Teacher? Hi-yah!"

He cast his spell, throwing a large fireball at his teacher. The fireball hit the ground at Saleh's feet, then exploded, sending several more fireballs swirling around his body. Saleh held up his arm to shield his face from the flames, but otherwise he was unaffected.

Amelia clapped her hands. "Go, Ewan!"

"Not bad, Ewan," Saleh said. "Now, prepare yourself."

Saleh fired an Elfire blast of his own. The blast exploded around Ewan, forming larger flames and fireballs. The flames only lasted a short second, but when they died, Ewan's cloak was on fire.

"Aaaaiiiieeeee!!" Ewan dove into the stream to douse the fires.

Amelia applauded again. "Go, Saleh!"

Ewan climbed out of the stream, wringing the extra water from his clothes. "Wow, Teacher, I should have guess that you'd become more powerful as well. I need more practice."

"You were great, Ewan," Amelia said. "I could never do magic like that."

"Finished already?" Saleh asked.

"I guess so," Ewan replied. "Amelia and I wanted to prepare a little something before our trip."

"And what might that be?"

"Tee hee...it's a surprise. Let's go, Amelia! Last one back to the house is a rotten egg!"

Ewan and Amelia began running back up the hills towards the houses. Saleh only watched them silently. Somehow, being around two hyper children made him feel...stiff. Saleh shook off his thoughts and began walking towards the houses himself.

---------------

That night, a famed mercenary dropped by for a visit. He was a mercenary leader named Gerik, but the continent of Magvel knew him as the Desert Tiger.

"Hello, Saleh!" he said cheerfully.

"Oh...Gerik," Saleh responded in a low voice.

"I hear that Ewan has a surprise dessert coming on," Gerik continued. "The kid idolizes you, Saleh! He's preparing a special dessert thank you for all you've done for him."

"That's...very sweet of him."

Ewan and Amelia came into the room, carrying a steaming hot pie.

"Dessert is ready!" Ewan called.

"Smells good!" Gerik said. "Let's go for it!"

They divided the pie into four slices, and they each ate their own slice hungrily. It didn't take long at all before the pie was completely gone.

"That was delicious, Ewan!" Gerik said. "What was it?"

"That was my very first michew berry pie," Ewan replied. "Amelia and I picked the berries ourselves."

Saleh was just swallowing his last bite, but choked up when he heard the main ingredient. "Michew berries??"

"That's right. What do you think, Teacher? I made it special for you."

Saleh instantly felt nauseous. His stomach felt bloated and heavy, as if he had swallowed a cannonball. "Ewan...I'm allergic to michew berries."

"You...you are?"

A sharp pain jolted through Saleh's stomach as he felt an overwhelming urge to vomit. He jumped up and dashed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Gerik, Ewan, and Amelia looked very concerned.

"He's not going to die, is he?" Amelia asked.

"Nah...he'll just be ill for a few days at the most," Gerik told her.

"I'm sorry..." Ewan lamented. "I didn't know he was allergic to michew berries."

"And I've always stressed to him the importance of good communication," Gerik remarked.

Saleh emerged from the bathroom looking somewhat relieved, but still uncomfortable.

"Teacher...you're angry at me, aren't you?" Ewan asked.

"No...it was my fault," Saleh responded. "If only you had known..."

"Yeah, it's true, I didn't know."

"Now...I only wish to sleep..."

"Sleep well, Saleh," Gerik said.

Saleh turned and went into his bedroom now. He looked down at his bed for a good, long moment. Rather than climbing into it normally, he fell forward on top of it, rolling awkwardly onto his back. Finally, he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the depths of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Saleh sat up in his bed and glanced at the window. It was pitch black outside, which led the sage to assume that it was late at night. His stomach felt great, as if the whole pie incident had never occurred. But usually, after getting sick on food, it would take several days to recover. Therefore, Saleh found it odd that his stomach was feeling normal. On the other hand, he had a feeling that he just couldn't put a finger on. Something just felt...wrong.

And as such, Saleh decided to get up and look around. He stepped into the living room; his heart skipped a beat as he saw Ewan and the band from Jehanna standing in the center of the room. Ewan stood in front with a flute in his hand. Tethys stood beside him with her long scarf. Marisa stood behind her with a harp, and Gerik stood in the back with bongos.

"Ewan...what are you doing with a band at this hour!?" Saleh asked.

"This is my band," Ewan replied. "I know how hard it is to teach me magic with your busy schedule and all. And because you're so great, I'm gonna treat you to a funk concert!"

"You mean right now? Ewan, it's the middle of the night. You should be considerate of those who are sleeping."

"Bah, they won't be bothered," Gerik threw in. "I'm sure everyone would enjoy our beautiful music."

"Is everyone ready?" Ewan called. "One, two, three, four!"

Everyone played on their instruments while Tethys danced to the sounds. However, what they were playing certainly did not sound like music at all. They played their instruments chaotically, filling the room with indecipherable noise. Saleh cringed at the sounds, just waiting for the elder to come in and start screaming at them to quiet down. Oddly enough, that never happened. After a moment, the noise stopped.

"Well, what do you think, Teacher?" Ewan asked.

Saleh was at a loss for words. Truthfully, he hated it, but he didn't want to tell Ewan that. Plus, it still felt wrong...wrong that no one had come to quiet them down. Instead of responding, Saleh turned and left the room.

"Teacher?" Ewan called. "Oh well. Let's play it again! One, two, three, four!"

The band resumed their awful noise.

Saleh stepped outside the house. He looked around the houses within the mountain peaks, which were illuminated by the moonlight. Then something caught his eye that clearly wasn't right. A large castle in the back of the village...a large, familiar castle. Just like the one in Grado.

_How can this be?_ Saleh wondered. _What is Grado Keep doing here in Caer Pelyn?_

But then again, perhaps this wasn't Grado Keep. There was only one way to find out. Saleh headed over to the castle to investigate.

Upon his entry, the castle appeared to be empty at first. Saleh moved in deeper, eventually spotting a purple light radiating from the back of the hall. Saleh followed the light, descending down the stairs into the dungeon. In one of the prison cells, he found Amelia with another familiar face, and a shaman who had traveled with them during the War of the Stones.

_Prince Lyon?_ Saleh thought. _But I was sure that he died..._

He kept his distance as he listened in on their conversation.

"Watch closely, Prince Lyon," Amelia said. "I will now show you how to resurrect your father with the power of the Dark Stone."

"This is great!" Lyon exclaimed. "Just imagine what I could do with this stone! I could heal wounds and undo destruction. I could remake the world over, into a better place!"

"Prince Lyon, Mistress Amelia," the shaman said. "I would advise against this. If we make the slightest error in handling the Dark Stone, it will only lead to disaster!"

"We won't let that happen, Knoll," Lyon said. "Mistress Amelia knows what she's doing."

_This is...impossible!_ Saleh thought. _Prince Lyon is alive...and Amelia is fooling with the dark arts. I must be dreaming. Yes, that's it. I'm dreaming!_

Saleh could feel his heart pounding. He suddenly realized that he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He fled from the dungeon and started down the halls to the main door...but then a voice called out to him.

"Sage Saleh!"

Saleh stopped in his tracks. The voice was coming from the throne room.

_Has Grado chosen a new ruler?_ Saleh wondered as he reluctantly approached the source of the voice.

A blue-armored knight with blonde hair sat upon the throne. Saleh recognized him as another soldier who had joined Eirika and Ephraim's company during the war.

"You...you're Cormag, aren't you?" he asked.

"That's 'Emperor Cormag' to you," the knight responded. "You were trespassing."

"I...I apologize," Saleh said. "I shall remove myself at once."

"Not so fast. I have a mission for you."

"A mission...for me?"

"Yes. Go to Castle Renais. You will learn more when you arrive."

"Renais? Why?"

"You would dare question the orders of your emperor?"

"But...I'm not part of your empire."

"You trespass in my castle, you're mine."

Saleh paused. As much as he hated it, he could see Cormag's point. He still wanted to leave as soon as possible. Perhaps the easiest way would be to accept this "mission."

"Yes...sire..." he finally responded.

Saleh took a bow and calmly left the castle.

_What could be happening in Castle Renais?_ he wondered.

There had been a lot of strange occurrances already tonight. There was no doubt that something strange was happening in Castle Renais as well. Saleh's curiosity got the best of him, and he left the village to travel to Renais.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The morning sun was starting to rise by the time Saleh reached Castle Renais. As he entered the castle, he began thinking to himself again.

_I heard that King Fado died when Renais was invaded. So Prince Ephraim must have taken the throne by now. I am curious as to how Princess Eirika is getting along as well._

Saleh entered the throne room. Sure enough, Prince Ephraim—the new king—sat upon the throne, reading a book.

"Prince—I mean, King Ephraim," Saleh greeted with a bow.

Ephraim looked up. "Saleh."

"Yes, Your Majesty. How fares Renais? How fares Princess Eirika?"

"Saleh, why are you here?"

"I've been sent by Emperor Cormag of Grado."

"Grado? Why?"

"I don't know. I was told that I would learn more when I arrived here."

"Grado is our enemy. They have no business with Renais."

"But...Grado and Renais were the closest of allies before the war."

"_Before_ the war," Ephraim pointed out. "Grado has betrayed Renais. Grado can no longer be trusted."

"That's not true. This was all the Demon King's doing. He controlled both Prince Lyon and Emperor Vigarde."

"Grado has no business with Renais; therefore, you have no business here. I order you to leave at once."

Saleh paused again. Obviously there was nothing to be found here, so there was no reason to stay anyway. He did find Ephraim's behavior to be odd, but there was no reason for concern.

"Very well," he finally responded.

Before he could move, however, a shrill scream filled the room from deep within the castle. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

_That sounded like Princess Eirika,_ Saleh thought.

He glanced at Ephraim, who had gone back to reading his book. This was definitely wrong. Ephraim's sister was in danger, and he was doing absolutely nothing about it. Although Saleh had been ordered to leave, he couldn't just ignore someone in need. He snuck past the throne room and ran down the hall towards the direction of the screams. Along the way, he was stopped by two blonde-haired knights, Franz and Forde, who were standing in front of a door.

"Slow down, sir," Forde said. "This is a restricted area."

"Princess Eirika...is she in there?" Saleh asked. "Is she safe?"

"We don't know, but it ain't pretty."

"Not pretty at all," Franz added.

"Aaaah! Master Saleh, save me!" Eirika screamed from behind the door. "Please save me!"

"She's calling for me..." Saleh said. "Please let me in. I can save her."

"Do you have any identification?" Forde asked. "A magical scroll, perhaps?"

"Or maybe a member card?" Franz added.

"No...I'm afraid I don't."

Franz and Forde glanced at each other. "General!" they called in unison.

Another knight stepped out of the room. He was a red-haired knight with light blue armor and yellow trim. Saleh recognized him as the paladin who was always at Eirika's side during the war.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" the paladin asked.

"Seth...it's me, Saleh. I'm a sage from Caer Pelyn. We met during the War of the Stones..."

"Do you have any identification?"

"Seth...do you truly not remember me?"

"I'll grant that you do look like a sage," Seth replied. "However, there are many people posing as sages."

Saleh let out an exasperated sigh.

"AAAAH! SALEH, ARE YOU COMING IN HERE OR NOT?!?!?" Eirika's voice screamed.

"Princess Eirika...she's yelling for me," Saleh said. "May I go in, please?"

"Very well," Seth replied. "You may go in, but at your own risk. Gentlemen, step aside."

The knights stepped aside, and Saleh burst into the room. Inside, he found a shocking sight. The room itself was empty, except for a large pot of boiling water in the center. Above, Princess Eirika was tied up and suspended from the ceiling. Little by little, she was being lowered towards the pot.

"Princess Eirika!" Saleh exclaimed. "What has happened!?"

"Saleh! Oh, Saleh!" Eirika cried. "This is all your fault! You knew better than to eat that michew berry pie, and now look what you've done to me! Now save me, quick!"

"Hold on!" Saleh searched throughout his cloak, only to realize that he did not bring any magic tomes with him. "I'll be right back!"

He ran outside the room, where Franz and Forde were still standing guard.

"Listen, is there a magic tome that I could borrow?" Saleh asked.

"I'm sure there's one around here somewhere," Franz replied.

"We just don't know where it is, though," Forde said.

"Ah..." Rather than express his frustration, Saleh ran back down the hall and through the throne room again. On the other side of the throne room was another corridor with several treasure chests. Saleh opened the first chest and pulled out an Elfire tome.

"Perfect!" he told himself.

He ran across the throne room en route to Princess Eirika again, but another female voice called out to him.

"Hold it! Where do you think you're going?"

Saleh stopped and spun around. Now there was a green-haired woman sitting in the throne. She was another companion of Eirika's during the war.

"Don't be afraid," she said. "It's only me."

"L'Arachel?" Saleh asked. "I apologize, but I'm rather in a rush right now. Princess Eirika needs my assistance."

"Oh, Eirika can wait," L'Arachel said. "We need you far more than she does. We need you in Darkling Woods."

"Well, I cannot ignore Eirika's plight. Once I have saved her, I will return to aid you."

L'Arachel shook her head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk...he's not cooperating. Hey fellas!!"

Saleh spun around as two giant cyclops stormed into the room. "What!?"

This was all wrong. L'Arachel, the outspoken woman who had dedicated her life to fighting evil monsters was now summoning them?

"Oh my beloved cyclops!" L'Arachel gushed. "Take this handsome sage over to the Black Temple, will you?"

"The Black Temple?" Saleh gasped. "No, I cannot...I can't let them take me!"

L'Arachel pulled out a staff with a red and black orb at the end and waved it at Saleh. "Silence!"

A prism of energy formed around Saleh. Saleh recognized it immediately as the staff that renders the victim unable to use magic and staves.

_No...not now!_ he thought.

The cyclops were quickly upon him, seizing him by the arms. Saleh struggled his best, but he could not break their monstrous hold.

"Unngh! Stop! Let me go!" he cried.

"Ha ha ha!" L'Arachel laughed with pure delight as the cyclops dragged Saleh out of the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When the cyclops hurled Saleh into the Black Temple, he crashed face-first on the floor. Saleh jumped to his feet, quickly trying to dash out the door, but the cyclops pulled the door shut with a loud thud. Grabbing the door handle, Saleh jerked as hard as he could, but the doors remained tightly sealed. Finally, he gave up, pressing his back against the door to study his surroundings.

The temple was filled with the foul demons, much like it had been during the War of the Stones. The revenants and skeletons walked around lifelessly, the gorgons slithered back and forth throughout the room. Looking up, Saleh also saw the gargoyles and mogalls flying around the room.

_Why is this happening?_ Saleh thought.

Suddenly, two gargoyles landed on the ground in front of him. Saleh quickly ducked as they both hurled their spears at him. Saleh quickly slipped past them.

_There has to be another way out!_ he thought frantically as he ran across the stone bridge.

At that moment, the zombies spotted him and began to attack. However, because Saleh was still silenced, he was unable to fight back. Luckily, most of the monsters were very slow, so Saleh was able to slip past them. The gargoyles continued to throw their spears from the air, while the mogalls fired their purple energy blasts from their pupils. Saleh had to dash quickly to avoid them. He looked backwards, trying to keep an eye on the enemies, but he then crashed into something hard and fell down. As he looked up from the floor, he was shocked to see that it was a cyclops that he ran into.

The cyclops raised its heavy axe into the air, then brought it down sharply. With a gasp, Saleh quickly rolled to the side to avoid it. As he stood up, he realized that his cape had been snagged by the axe and was now indented in the ground.

_Blast!_

The cyclops had difficulty prying the axe loose from the ground. Likewise, Saleh was unable to pull his cape free. Meanwhile, the other monsters were beginning to close in. In a fit of desperation, Saleh continued to yank on his cape until it ripped apart at the axe. He then fled from the monsters again, until he reached the door at the back of the room. After dashing through, he quickly slammed the door and locked it.

As Saleh caught his breath, a blue wave of energy suddenly flashed from his body. It felt as if he had been released from a tight hold.

"The silence spell...it's worn off," he told himself. "Thank goodness..."

Saleh studied the large and empty room. The memory of this room would be forever carved into the sage's heart. This was the room where he had faced off against the terrible Demon King. It was a battle that he would remember until his death.

Saleh slowly walked across the room, carefully stepping into the space where the Demon King had stood. The memories of that battle became even more vivid in his mind. Was it happening again? Is this why L'Arachel had brought him here?

Behind him, he could hear the call of a small girl. "Saleh..."

The voice was haunting as it had an eerie quality to it, and yet it sounded so familiar.

"Saleh..."

Saleh slowly turned to face the owner of the voice, a small girl in a red robe, with indigo hair tied on both sides of her head. She also had a pair of yellow dragon wings on her back.

Saleh let out a relieved sigh. "Lady Myrrh, I am most grateful to see you."

"Saleh...what's happened to you?" Myrrh asked.

"The monsters dragged me here against my will. Lady Myrrh, why do these creatures still exist even after we've defeated the Demon King?"

"The Demon King...is our true master." Myrrh spoke emotionlessly, unmoving.

"What? Lady Myrrh, what's gotten into you?"

"The Demon King...has returned."

"But that's impossible. We've destroyed his body so that he can never return."

"The Demon King...has offspring."

"Offspring?"

"That's right!" L'Arachel's voice called from behind the sage. "That's why we need your help, Saleh! You're the most powerful sage in all of Magvel!"

"I see..." Saleh said. "So you need my help to stop the Demon King's resurrection?"

L'Arachel flashed a sly smile. "Well now, I didn't say that..."

"What?"

"You see, you're going to help us resurrect the Demon King."

Saleh staggered back a few steps. "Wh...what!? L'Arachel, this is no time for jokes."

"Jokes? Why, I never! You see, I am actually the daughter of the Demon King! My guise as the princess of Rausten was but a ruse."

"What?" Saleh found himself becoming more flustered by the second. However, he quickly forced himself back into composure. "Regardless, I will not participate in the Demon King's resurrection."

"Oh, who said you had a choice?" L'Arachel raised her right arm, and an entire horde of monsters appeared within the room, quickly surrounding Saleh.

_Oh no...there are too many of them!_ he thought.

"My beloved children of darkness!" L'Arachel called. "Hold him tight and sap every last drop of power from his body!"

The monsters began to close in, and Saleh held his Elfire tome by his side, ready to attack. However, before he could unleash his magic, a gargoyle dove from above, piercing Saleh's shoulder with its spear, driving him straight into the ground.

"Argh!" Saleh cried out in pain.

Before long, the zombies towered over him, reaching down towards him with their rotten talons.

"No, stop!" Saleh screamed. "Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"

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"Let me out...let me out...let me out!"

Saleh sprang forward in his bed, breathing hard. He looked around to find himself in his room in the Caer Pelyn village.

"Ah...it was only a dream," he told himself. "Thank you, Great Dragon..."

He sat in his bed for a moment, trying to calm himself down. He took some deep breaths, as his heart was throbbing in his chest. The dream was still vivid in his mind, and it was as frightening as if it had actually happened. Saleh then felt the heaviness in his stomach. However, he was relieved to feel it, as he had not fully recovered from the effects of Ewan's pie yet. This also meant that Saleh was now truly awake.

Standing precariously, Saleh walked into the living room, where Gerik and Ewan were sitting at the table.

"Teacher, you're awake!" Ewan exclaimed.

"How're you feeling, Saleh?" Gerik asked.

Saleh joined them at the table. "Ah...I suppose I'm all right..."

"Man, you sure had us worried. You slept way past your normal time."

"Yeah, Amelia and I even waited on our trip, because we were afraid that something would happen to you!" Ewan added.

"I see...thank you both for your concern," Saleh said.

"Wow...after all that, I'll never make michew berry pie again..."

"There's no need to worry about that. From now on, I'll make sure to inquire about the ingredients before I eat.

"So tell me, Saleh," Gerik said, "what kind of bizarre dreams did you have?"

"Dreams?"

"Yeah, remember when you first discovered your allergy to michew berries? You were having all kinds of bizarre dreams, like talking animals. Or when Tethys was spinning so fast she became a twister."

"Well, if you must know..." Saleh closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It all started when..."

**THE END**


End file.
